-LRB- CNN -RRB- -- Yes -- Marissa Mayer posed for Vogue . Her skin is creamy , her hair perfect . She looks gorgeous . It 's not surprising ; it 's Vogue .

It 's also not surprising that the conversation about Mayer 's Vogue piece -- the first major profile she agreed to since becoming CEO of Yahoo -- has remained squarely focused on how she looks in the accompanying photograph .

Most criticisms , my own included , have examined Mayer 's role in this : At a time when women in the workplace desperately need role models , why did she allow herself to be depicted in a manner so far removed from most women 's realities ?

On CNN.com , Pepper Schwartz writes that `` a significant number of women ... were less than thrilled at the idea of one of the few women of real power still needing the affirmation of a Vogue fashion shoot , '' and `` here 's a woman who has made it to the top because of her brains , does she still need to self-validate by having a beautiful fashion gig ? ''

But what 's so inexcusable about a woman wanting to look her best ? How is it self-validating to let a respectable magazine profile you in the way they know how ? Or is the issue more about the audacity of a powerful woman sitting for a portrait that might be -- gasp -- flattering ?

The truth is that we ca n't blame Mayer , or Vogue , for society 's obsession with , and response to , appearance . Women , especially women who happen to be both beautiful and brilliant like Mayer , are very often reduced to , or at least measured by , their looks . This was a reality before Mayer 's Vogue spread , and it will be a reality after . The debate over Mayer 's culpability in agreeing to be sexed up for a fashion magazine implies that she has some power over the fact , some ability to change the truth , that looks matter , and that pretty people succeed more .

Because they do , with or without the `` affirmation of a Vogue fashion shoot . ''

According to a 2007 paper from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics , overweight and obese white women face a significant `` wage penalty . '' According to research by Daniel Hamermesh , author of `` Beauty Pays : Why Attractive People are More Successful , '' the top one-third of attractive females earn about 10 % more annually than those in the bottom sixth of the genetic pool .

And in her groundbreaking 1999 book , `` Survival of the Prettiest , '' Harvard Medical School psychologist Nancy Etcoff argues that good-looking people get better jobs , are better paid , and have an easier time in life . The evidence is in : Evolutionarily speaking , pretty people win .

Mayer 's looks likely helped her get ahead in some manner throughout her career ; as such , it 's unreasonable to expect that she 'd do anything but agree to play them up for a national audience .

For women , who are faced with any number of disadvantages in the workplace , why not use what you can ? That 's not to say Mayer is n't brilliant or hardworking ; it 's not an either/or in business or in life . But it 's unrealistic , and unfair , to expect that Mayer would n't sit for a photo that was n't expected to turn out at least somewhat flattering . That 's not self-validation , or even narcissism . It 's nothing more than completely human .

The opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of Peggy Drexler .

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Peggy Drexler : Talk of Marissa Mayer 's Vogue piece focused on her appearance

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Drexler : We ca n't blame Mayer , or Vogue , for society 's obsession with appearance .

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She says Mayer has no say over the fact that looks matter , pretty people succeed more

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But it 's unfair , she says , to expect Mayer to sit for a photo that was n't going to be flattering